A garage door opener is a motorized device that opens and closes a garage door. Most openers are controlled or operated by a wall-mounted switch. Most openers are also operable by a wireless remote controller, i.e., a “remote” or simply remote controller, which is a small, hand-held device that can be carried by a person or operated from a motor vehicle.
Put simply, a garage door remote controller is a small, battery-powered radio frequency transmitter that transmits a signal on one or more designated frequencies. When a mating receiver in the garage door opener “hears” a signal from the remote controller, the garage door opener raises or lowers the garage door, allowing or denying access to the garage itself of course but any building(s) connected thereto.
Many vehicles are now manufactured with integrated garage door opener controllers, which can “learn” or be programmed to transmit a signal to a variety of different types of garage door openers. Such integrated garage door openers are typically designed to be functional, regardless of whether the vehicle is on or off.
While integrated garage door openers reduce clutter in a vehicle, their continuous operability provides a means by which someone can gain entry to a garage and thus a home or other structure simply by gaining entry to the vehicle. Preventing unauthorized use of a vehicle's embedded garage door opener controller, i.e., providing security to an integrated garage door opener would thus be an improvement over the prior art.